Pilots Host Oregon State Saturday, Seek Best Start Since 1978-79 SeasonComplete Release (PDF) I Live Video I Live Audio I Live StatsPORTLAND PILOTS (6-1) vs. OREGON STATE BEAVERS (4-2)
Date: Dec. 6, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Radio: Sports 910 (KMTT)
Video/Audio/Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series Record: OSU leads 52-16
THIS WEEK• The Pilots host the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday at 7 p.m. and will look for the program's best eight-game start since the 1978-79 Pilots opened with a 13-game winning streak.
• The game will have a free HD video stream courtesy of PortlandPilots.com as well as free audio and live stats.
• All Portland basketball games will be aired live on Sports 910 (KMTT) with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes prior to tip-off. David Endres will fill in for Bill Johnson on the play-by-play.
ABOUT THE PILOTS• Portland led by as much as 27 points late in the second half of an 83-71 win over crosstown rival Portland State on Wednesday. Sophomore PG Alec Wintering scored a career high 27 points, while senior C Thomas van der Mars added 19 points and 14 rebounds.
• The Pilots have matched the third best start in program history since Portland joined the Division I ranks in 1958-59.
• Portland won 2-of-3 games at the Challenge in Music City last weekend. The Pilots beat Murray State (64-61) and Drake (71-59), before suffering their only loss of the season Sunday versus Valparaiso (70-55).
• The Pilots rank top 30 nationally in both rebounding margin (+9.1) and assists per game (16.6).
• Portland returns four starters and seven of the top eight scorers from last year's team that finished 15-16 overall.
• Senior G Kevin Bailey, a four-year starter, averaged 16.5 points per game a year ago before missing the final seven games with a leg injury. He leads four Pilots averaging double figures this season at 13.1 points per game.
• Van der Mars is also a four-year starter and approaching 1,000 career points. He was a Preseason All-WCC selection by the league's head coaches.
• Wintering started the first 27 games of last season as a true freshman before a leg injury sidelined him the last four outings. He topped all WCC freshmen in assists, assist/turnover ratio, and steals and was top five among all players in the league in each category.
• Portland added five newcomers to the roster this season with four freshmen and a junior college transfer. Four of the newcomers have Pacific Northwest ties, while the fifth is 7-footer Philipp Hartwich (Cologne, Germany).
• Head Coach Eric Reveno returns for his ninth year on The Bluff. Assistant Coach Eric Jackson and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Mike Wolf also return for their ninth years, while Colin Pfaff is back for his third year as an assistant coach after two years as Director of Basketball Operations.
• Reveno added experience to his staff in the offseason with the addition of veteran NBA head coach Herb Brown and former Portland Trail Blazers video coordinator Tim Grass.
• Portland looks to return to the form it had from 2008-2011, a stretch that included back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history and 60 wins over three seasons.
• The Pilots were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) for three consecutive seasons from 2008-2011.
ABOUT OREGON STATE• The Beavers have wins over Rice, Corbin Coll., Oral Roberts and Mississippi Valley State and losses to Oklahoma State and Auburn.
• Gary Payton II leads OSU in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (9.2).
• Former Montana head coach Wayne Tinkle is in his first year at the helm of the Beavers.
